Middle Earth Oblivion, Circles in Cyrodiil
by The Puppet Thief
Summary: 3E433. A Bosmer is infected and left for dead by a murderous Vampire psychopath. A band of Knights get the wrong message and a war is on the brink between the Black Marsh and Elsweyr. Oblivion was sealed away forever, yes, but it looks as though Middle Earth is about to become another realm of Darkness! Rated M for violence, gore, language and slight romance. Huge Spoiler Alert!


Well, took forever, but here it is! Story takes place after the Oblivion crisis. A Bosmer (not the Champion of Cyrodiil) becomes infected with Porphyric Hemophilia and is now running for her life as she's being hunted by the whole realm, was she framed or is she really that evil? To top it all off Black Marsh and Elsweyr are on the brink of war and a band of Knights from Skyrim are left to deal with them. With no Emperor left alive... Cyrodiil is falling apart.

Obviously I don't own anything related to the Elder Scrolls, Bethesda does.  
If any of you have read the series by George R.R. Martin, A Song of Ice and Fire, than you'll probably recognize the style of writing. I've based each chapter into POV's of each main character and organized every thing into "Parts". The style is used to keep the story organized as there's a lot going on. I have a really bad attention span, so it's nice to get a look of things at different angles. If you don't like it, when I'm done this I plan on going through and shortening it later on to follow ONLY the main character and cut it down to chapters only. They'll be a long time from now though. :)  
I don't claim to own his structure; that's the fun of the fan fiction world!

I'm also really sorry, it's been a while since I've written anything and I have a tendency to use Spell Check more than I blink, causing words to come out as something completely not what their supposed to be ^_^;

The main characters of this fic, however, are mine; Kayien, Benjen, Kevyn, Bruze, Molic, and a few irrelevant Characters. The first two are actual characters of mine and will remain mine. They've just been altered to fit certain roles(races).

I'll shut up now o.o;

* * *

**Middle Earth Oblivion **  
Part 1

**Prologue**

Sundas, 1st of Frostfall, third era, 433. Sketched out poster's hung feebly to the walls of the city. Patrol around every bend, curfew and strict rules and still not one person had been able to flush out just one man. The Gray Fox and his homeless companions were becoming rich off the wealth of the guards and towns people of the Imperial City, and yet still knowledge of this man has evaded all odds. The beggars claim he is still in the city, the guards garrisoned around the outer walls, gate's and even the sewer entrances claim no one fitting the descriptions ever came in or out; no one leaves with out a frisk check and a little interrogating. They had all suspected invisibility magic at the beginning, but not even the best illusionist, mage or no, can get past a Detect Life spell or an item with even the simplest enchantment of the sort, and every member of the city watch was equipped and trained with either.

The council had earlier on placed forth a strict curfew; once the sun hit that mountain anyone on the street was hauled away and interrogated. Some even killed, but those were petty criminals trying to get away with sorts completely irrelevant to the case at hand. Regardless the rules, police, garrison and civilian eye, the problem persists; there's a vampire loose and he's influencing at a rapid rate. Or, as the city watch puts it, 'breeding'. And his offspring are bouncing evil vampire's. Rumor say's he's giving his new 'children' information on how to cure vampirism once he's changed them. But because no one can leave their houses after hours, no one can go out of the city to find this cure, therefore filling the city to the brim with vampire killings. You see, this lead vampire hasn't actually killed anyone. Indirectly speaking, of course; his inexperienced and uneducated _children_ are the one's doing the killing.

Tonight his victim is a Bosmer who's just stumbled into the Tiber Septim Inn in the Talos Plaza, drunk out of her mind off, judging by her small, Skooma (Highly illegal throughout Tamriel). She has a childish face with hair that screams 'I want to be a vampire'. Well, to him at least. Her mahogany hair was fashioned backwards and was shortened to the base of her neck, with a few strands falling in front of her face; clearly from some shenanigan taking place earlier on, as it appeared sort of ruffled. She wore a dark brown tunic with one sleeve rolled up on her left side, and from the angle she was at it appeared as though she had a split lip. _She also has a dirk hidden under her top where her sleeve is rolled up. Noted._ A nameless Cheap Wine appeared to be her choice for the night as the barmaid twisted off the top and handed it off after accepting a Septim.

"Excuse me, ma'am, I don't mean to intrude…" The man spoke, his voice softly sprinkled with a hint of curiosity and attention on the barmaid, "I don't think she needs anymore, please, allow me to pay for her stay tonight!" he offered, placing a stack of ten gold coins in front of her, smiling. Bringing his attention down to the Bosmer, he smiled wider, "Please, allow me to accompany you! May I sit?" he asked. The little Bosmer continued to look at him as if he had just taken away her coin purse, eyebrows placed together hard and eyes narrowed.

"Wh-who are you…? And whaa' are yo-hic-ou doing?" she asked, her voice husk and slurred.

"I'm saving you from a world of morning pain, you're clearly to drunk for wine, so how about water and sleep! Come, I'll take you to your room. Here, let me carry you!" he shot one more glance over to the barmaid behind the counter and winked, placing out a small sack tied tightly around the top. The small sack was heavy with coin as was the barmaids face with fear and a hint of regret. She knew what was going on the second the sack slid in front of her.

"I-hic don't need help, wha 're you talking 'bout! See? I can walk all on… on my own." The Bosmer said, triumphing a bee line successfully across the room till she got to the stairs. At this point, the man had caught up to her just in time to help her, "N-no! I can do the stairs! I will own these stairs!" she said with valiance, "Just you se-" before she could attempt, the man had scooped her up and began his trek up the steep flight to the penthouse above the Inn. The penthouse used to be just the Inn's study, but due to popular demand, it had been made into a suite, fitted with a large bed, an even larger wardrobe and a table for private dinning. The study wasn't a big room, just a simple cylindrical tower with a high ceiling. A little window on the ceiling had been added for additional effect and lighting. The rugs that were hung from the walls were made of a fine red silk, each fashioned with a different golden design.

"Finally!" he said, "Alone." he smiled to the Bosmer. "Now, my sweet little forest-imp, shall we dance a little?" He grabbed her hand without waiting for an answer and pulled her in close to his body while humming a tune she was to drunk to understand. His hands and his body was cold; icy with no pulse, but the elf was to dazed to know what this meant. And yet still his movements were perfect and before she knew it she was dancing with him, eye's locked. She had at some point tried to compliment his eyes, saying how they gave her shivers at how spooky and dark they were. She began to ramble on of how she had to think of ways to thank him for this hospitality, and how she would cut pockets for a month for him. In the short time they danced he learned that she was apparently a very good cutpurse. He also learned that she knows how to dance very well while inebriated, juggle, and ride mammoths backwards with her eyes closed and that the trick was in the wind and it's butt cheeks. When he had told her that he had all the wealth in the world and that spending one night with him would be swell enough and in a moment or two she was sold. Their lips locked and their bodies danced to a music so sweet until all consciousness was lost.

The next morning was a weird morning. There was no pain, no headache nor stomach rumble. No vomit anywhere to be seen, and no clothes were to be had despite how much she had consumed over the past twelve hours. Her bed side was empty yet there was evidence that someone had been laying next to her and the room was very dark save for the little light coming through the window on the ceiling. The sight of it was oddly painful and threatened to give a migraine to those who looked upon it.

"Morning! How do you feel?" came a sweet hum, "Take a moment to relax before answering me, my sweet little forest-imp."

She sat, naked under the vibrant red covers pondering who this was and what he meant. She _did_ feel great but something wasn't sitting right, "Alright. I feel alright. What happened? And where is this? This isn't the Inn…" she asked, studying her surroundings carefully. Suddenly she felt a ping of irritation, "And what did you just call me?"

"Yes it is, don't you remember? This is the penthouse of the Tiber Septim. We laid last night for quite some time and oh! Let me tell you, I've never experienced a woman so drunk have so much control; and voice! To be honest, I almost regretted what I did to you!" his voice trailed off into a deeper rumble than the softness of it a moment prior.

Now she was beginning to understand what he had meant earlier. Her legs were stiff and sore, yes, but that wasn't what had set her off. Her neck had a stiffness to it as well, the kind where you've had your head cocked in one horizontal direction for to long; even holding it still hurt. "Who are you?" she asked, matching his tone. Noting the stiffness in her arms as well, and her back. _I feel so weak… Why?_

"I told you last night after you asked me time and time again," the softness returning to him, "but you still have not revealed to me who you are, I think you owe me that much." He smiled sweetly.

The dimness of the room had begun to even out with her eyes and she was able to see where this mystery man was located and some detail. _And_ that her clothes and dirk was nowhere to be seen, "Right. You're a complete stranger. Now, what did you call me earlier?"

"Oh… you wound me! I take your drink away to help you sober up, pay for your room for a whole week out of the kindness of my heart with no expectations, carry you up the stairs and make love to you like an animal and I don't get so much as a name?" he explained, his voice high with hurt.

Her eye twitched, _I guess it wouldn't hurt to be nice for now, I'll just ditch him later._ "Forgive me…" she spoke, loosening up and rubbing her temples, "With this vampire on the loose I've been really touchy lately. And I'm not the most trusting of 'mer's. Please just call me Kai. Now if you will, I believe I have forgotten yours… again." She flushed, opening herself up a little more, "Why are you all the way over there and not over here with me?" she leaned her weight on her shoulder and tapped the bedside beside her, allowing the blanket to fall from her chest.

But the man's face flinched into a look of horror, regret and anger, "Molic is what you can call me. Round two wont be necessary." She could see his face completely now, and could see how serious he had gotten the moment she uttered her name. His voice had deepened as well, "If you ever wish to be at peace ever again I suggest you listen to me closely, thief. Go to Skingrad. Seek out Count Hassildor, he's the Lord there. If you can reach him, that is. Good luck with the sun though, my dear sweet forest-imp. It's going to hurt. Such a shame, Kaiyen Nyn, Catspaw of the Thieves Guild. You're quite something."

Before she could react the room filled with a sudden darkness and a few flashes of red and in an instant he was gone; "_Son of a BITCH!_" She roared, slamming her fists down on the bed. Feeling nothing but a swelling ping of rage inside her, she threw the covers off and scrambled around the room for her clothes. They were the special leather armor she had fitted under a belted tunic. With that, she'd be able to throw on the hood and possibly get help before the sun set and the poison took it's real effects on her; Fatigue was the first strep and she had already begin to really feel the pull on her muscles. However, this _Molic_ had apparently already figured that out and disposed of the armor, leaving only the tunic and pants. With nothing left to do but take one for the team Kai swallowed her gut, popped her collar to hide the bite marks and exited the room, realizing then just _how_ sore her legs really were. When she came to the tavern below, she noted the barmaid giving her a peculiar look, as the corner of her lip slid upright and her left eyebrow gave a quick notch up a few times, she soon realized the extent of the damage she had done here last night. With a shake of her head she attempted exiting the tavern, only to be overwhelmed by the light. To overwhelmed. _Front door is a no-go._

"Uhm, if I may?" came a voice from behind.

Kaiyen turned around to see the barmaid standing behind her. She was a small Nord, shy yet she had a motherly vibe about her face; "What?" she hissed, already irritated by current events.

"Come with me, we must speak privately." She pulled on Kai's arm with out any hesitation or answer and led her to a door at the far side of the inn in a dark corner. She locked it tightly behind them with a large and heavy wooden beam, shoving few times to ensure safety. After they secured it, she pulled Kai aside deeper into the basement and began speaking in a soft tone, "This is going to sound very strange and very bad, and I'd like to ask you to please hear me out! There was nothing I could do that would help your situation!" she started, "He is just to strong. I knew that if I did anything then he'd probably kill you before morning. I knew he was the vampire, but I couldn't do anything about it."

Kaiyen found it hard to stifle the amount of anger she had building inside her, she could feel her face becoming hot and all she could do was chew her lip. The man that had taken her last night she had realized before, was indeed a vampire and probably _the_ man from the posters. She touched her neck and found several swollen lumps, not just two, but six. Over the course of the night must she have been infected several times like a drug addict to Skooma. Evading Porphyric Hemophilia, even at the Temple of the Divines and the healers, now was beyond impossible. Especially since the bounty for anyone found with PH was so high that they probably would get more money turning her in than Kaiyen's coin for her health, and Kai had no real amount of money.

"You were so drunk last night, and he was being so sweet to you. I didn't really think he was going to strike here, and the way he was being, I thought that maybe you would get lucky." She rambled on, tears playing at her eyes, "He handed me this." She pulled out a little sack of money from her apron and handed it to Kai.

She snapped, from slapping the coin purse from her hands to pushing the lady against the wall by the neck in the blink of an eye, Kai snapped hard; "_YOU_, along with ever other Nord in all of Tamriel, have got to be the _dumbest_ creatures known to all man _and_ 'mer alike! You could have just made a scene, then the Watch would come in and investigated and he would have been caught and all of this would have blown over. But no, _YOU LET HIM BUY ME OFF YOU LIKE I'M JUST ANOTHER BOTTLE OF MEAD!?_" She screamed, inches from the now blubbering mess of sniffles and sobs. "Lady, that man infected me! I would have rather been _stabbed and killed _than fucked by that monster! And to make matters worse, I have scar's on my neck that the guards are going to notice-"

"_I'm so sorry! When he smiled at me I just froze! I'm so sorry, please don't kill me!_"

"Sorry isn't going to rid me of PH, lady! But _killing_ you is against my protocol." She spat in the woman's face and pushed off with a huff, "I will not help you when he comes after you next, I can only imaging what he's got in store for you. That's a sight I'd love to see!" the barmaid dropped to the floor immediately and shielded herself beneath her arms, her legs pressed tightly to her abdomen, "Now, where's your cellar? I need to leave this city before it's to late! And because _you_ sold me, you get to get me out of here! OH for divines sake _GET UP!_ And please, stop this wallowing, it's making you look uglier than you already are! _UP!_" Kai shouted, attempting to drag the woman to her feet. The lady resisted and squirmed away, shouting. Giving up, Kaiyen spat on the ground next to the barmaid and walked away cursing, hoping there was a trap door to escape from. "Useless cunt…"

The lady then spoke, calmingly, "There is no trap door, or any kind of exit from this hotel. You're only bet is out the front door, and you will have to wait for night time to leave or it'll blind you dumb…" she said, falling back into her sobs once more.

"But by then…"

"The effects of Porphyric Hemophilia will have started… My dearest I am so-"

"_Will you stop with that!_" She snapped, "I'm sick of you're hollow words, just get me out of here safely! Now!"

"I have a plan." She spoke. By this time, the lady was on her feet and brushing off her gown of dust and dirt, "You'll have to walk with your eyes closed though. When you leave, go right fifteen paces…" she started, "Turn right once more and you'll be at a main walk way, go straight forty-seven paces, but be careful, there's a pair of steps half way through. Go right again for about twenty more steps and on your right there will be an ally way. Twenty more and your at the sewer entrance." She explained. Something about the way she explained it seemed off; as if she's said it to a few other people, and she must have guessed that being a Bosmer, my steps are shorter than anyone else, so there has to be more like me. _Just how many others are there?_

"How could you possibly know that so well… What am I going to expect down there?" Kai asked, narrowing her eyes at the lady, approaching her once more halting just inches from the woman's face, "More like me I suppose? I'm to believe you're sending me to my ultimate death considered I don't particularly look like a vampire yet?" she spat again on the ground in front of the lady again, "Speak Nord…"

"You can't kill me, you said so yourself. So stop being threatening like that you don't scare me anymore…" the woman began bravely, but Kaiyen grabbed her wrist, twisted it and squeezed hard. A shriek of pain escaped the woman's mouth as her legs gave out from under her.

"No, but no one said I can't cause you serious pain and you're beginning to shorten my patience with you. You're wasting my time, and so help me I will take this arm with me if it means I get anything out of you for my own sake." She threatened relieving some of the pressure on her arm so the Nord could speak.

"You're obviously skilled with the blade and probably with your hands too. There's nothing down there you cannot handle. Yes, I have lead many people down to that sewer, especially Bosmer's, but I have also lived in this city my entire life! I know every crevice of every bend like it's my play ground." Her voice was scratchy and her hands were trembling, "I wish you no more harm than I have already caused you, and I do believe in you."

"Why? Why are you telling me all this. You realize this Vampire's probably going to kill you for helping me, and if you're telling me what you are because you work with him, I'll come back for you later, and my oath _will not_ stop me. If you're not helping him, I cannot stop him doing anything to you for what you did to me. You're a foolish, stupid woman. But regardless, thank you… I'm still taking that coin though." Kai then released the woman's arm and reached over for the coin purse on the ground, attaching it to her belt, "If I survive the gutter and get help I'll be sure this Vampire doesn't mingle in this any longer." Kaiyen snorted before turning to leave, heaving the beam off the iron handles with slight ease and exiting the Inn basement.

"Talos guide you and shadows hide you… for Divines sake, you'll need it…" the lady uttered before she fell out of ear shot.

Kai made her way back up to the penthouse on the third floor and began searching for anything she could use for a hood. _Bastard took my fucking armor… No one steals from this thief, I will make him suffer before I end him with his own damn tools. _After a few minutes of searching, nothing was found. Not even her dirk was anywhere. The little dagger she carried around with her was the Blade of Woe she had received from a man who had approached her one night. He claimed that he was with the Dark Brotherhood and that if she wished to become one of them, all he had to do was kill one man with this dagger, but being with the Thieves Guild murder was frowned upon and costly if gone through with, and not to mention she was an archer, so blades and such weren't really her forte. Even such, she hadn't been able to part with the blade; it was made of ebony, an extremely rare metal, and made her feel a little safe having it on her. But she just hadn't had the need for it until now.

With lack of a weapon and shield for her face, Kai had nothing else left to do but, once again, swallow back her everything this time and _really_ take one for the team.

To avoid attracting attention from the guards, she kept her gaze down on the ground. The sun was extremely bright, and hurt it to look at anything. With no hood, shielding her eyes from the sun would look suspicious. So she kept her eyes down and began counting her steps. With great success, before she knew it the sewer trap door was below her and she soon found herself dropping into Tamriel's most repulsive place. The Imperial City sewers.

And already there was a problem. Before her was a huge iron and stone door, that for the life of her wouldn't budge, and a rat below her waiting for her to drop down from an overhang that stood about 10 feet off the main ground. At this point, it was turn back and face the sunlight, or drop down from the overhang and have no where else to go but forward. And before her only the divines and daedra knew what was dwelling ahead. If only she had a _real_ Dremora here with her. Or a Clannfear; the claws on them were said to cleanse diseases from ones system. Or even something that she could use as a weapon. On one hand, she had Nocturnal's Skeleton Key what was bound to her in the form of a tattoo on her leg, so real locked doors weren't going to be a problem. _Now, if only it works on mechanical doors too._

With out further hesitation, Kaiyen dropped down to the lower level, slayed the rat and started off. At first she thought she came across a friend of hers from the Guilds, but the house had since been sold to someone else and wasn't to fond of people coming up from their basement. Even asking for help was useless, all they said was that if she didn't leave they'd call in the guards. Not wanting anymore disputes, she left. After spending a great deal of time going left and right and over again and doubling back to find herself doubling over again, anger began to fill within her. She was one of the best with the Guild, and never really got lost for this long, always finding a way. And when in doubt, she would simply rest for a bit to clear her head before finding the way. But this time she didn't have that luxury, and there wasn't any sign of anyone like her down here like she would have guessed, or anyone at all save for the huge rats and nasty goblins.

Hour's passed and the only thing she came across were basement entrances. After becoming impatient, angry, and worst of all hungry, Kaiyen was becoming overwhelmingly desperate. She doubled back to a basement suite that had been surrounded by three goblins prior to, and she had taken them all out with stealth and wits, throwing things to cause noises somewhere else and then snapping the necks of one of them. The other two were a bit harder, but she won in the end. They were stupid, brutally strong, but stupid. She had noticed the gate up the little latter had a name on it, but not one she recognized. At this point in time she was beginning to kick herself repeatedly for not doing any real background studying on the map of the sewers or the people who had access to them via cellars.

_Amantius Allectus _was the name inscribed on the trap door. "Well, Sir Amantius Allectus, I'm terribly sorry for intruding, but I need to get out of here and now." She spoke to herself, heaving gently on the door. _Shit_, the gate was locked. And tightly. And from how tight she estimated it was probably the best kind of lock system available, far beyond what her magic could muster and probably for this reason too. Thankfully she had the Skeleton Key, and from the looks of the scratch marks and amount of broken metal pieces on the ground, the goblins had attempted gaining access to here as well. To bad they were stupid creatures, if they had known better, maybe they would have learned a thing or two from her, and at this point, they could have been useful in her aid. But unfortunately goblins weren't on her list of things she could control with her Bosmer magic. She placed her hand over the spot on her leg where the tattoo was and muttered a few inaudible words. A few moments and some flashes of red light later a dirk like key appeared in her hand and she was set and the gat opened the second she placed the Skeleton Key inside the keyhole. When she came through the key immediately disappeared and the first thing she saw was blood everywhere and about a dozen pots of flowers, also covered in blood. _Beautiful._ Who ever lived here wasn't so innocent. They're luck the guards haven't been 'house checking' yet. That, or the flowers just had really prickly thorns. More onwards she found herself up the stairs and out the front door in the blink of an eye, but just before she thought her work was beginning to cut itself out, the sun was visiting the other side of the world, and anyone caught out at this hour was hauled off. Its felt like it's already been 24 hours since she was infected, so already the suspicion would go through the roof. It would get her killed, probably even on the spot. To make her life even more difficult, every guard had been trained with Detect life, so sneaking was out of the question.

She had no choice, it was the gutters or nothing; This just meant taking a life. _The Guild will have to understand._ There was no way she could continue the sewers with out proper weapons and armor, the goblins were a little bit more of a match for anyone unarmed after a while. She snuck back into Amantius' house and crept upstairs. He was unfortunately home, and awake, along with what looked to be his wife. _This was a no go, the woman would cause to much of a ruckus and I would get slammed for it._ Stealing a moment to snoop around the house to see if these people had anything useful, she poked and prodded everywhere, but nothing came up. Only clothes and normal house hold items. _One more peek outside and we'll see which is the better gamble. You're a cat, Nyn, not a rat. You do the hunting around here._

Nocturnal must have been on her shoulders tonight. The door guard passed by her as she crept outside, giving her leeway to exit. Unfortunately the gate nearest to her lead to the Arboretum and the only way out was the bridge. _That bridge leads to the Arcane University; I would become to exposed, and the City Watch was full of skilled archers, but this is still good news,_ she bit her lip and cracked a small smile,_ it means the guards don't stay at the doors like they should. But the main gates, there's no way they would let that gate be touched by a child without so much as their consent. Arboretum it is, and look… still no guard in sight._

Kai managed through the bush and statue cluttered Arboretum with ease, the court was filled with trees and places to hide. _There! The gate to the University_. By this time the sun was coming up and she was now risking more exposure to the sun than the archers. _The water… I bet I could make it. Nocturnal, if you're still with me, please grant me this moment, you know I will reward you well for your help_. This was it, time was out. If she bee lined it to the water she could outswim the guards with a water-breathing spell. With out a hesitation, Kaiyen was off, past the two Imperial guards and bounding for the door. It took a hard slam, but the door budged open before they could get to her. At the same time someone was coming in through it. An officer garbed in something Black. Whatever he was garbed in, it was hard. Kai crashed into him as she tried to escape, knocking him down on his ass. In any case, it helped with her recoil as she rolled onto her feet and with out a moments notice she was gone. With one swift leap she was up on the rail of the bridge, running along it and then disappeared behind, bounding towards the river.

"Leave her!" Called the man from the ground, "Kevyn, leave her!" his voice was a harsh bellow.

"But Benjen, she knocked you down; that was an assault right there, she didn't even say sorry. And why would someone be running so fast if they weren't a criminal?" Asked the smaller of the two, this one wore black-on-white armor, black detailing on plates of white stained steel. His voice was lighter than his counterpart. From their facial structure, and armor, they were clearly related.

"She has Porph-Hemo, I could smell it. She wont last in the sunlight for much longer, so the wild has her now. We'll send word out to Skingrad regardless." He brushed off the dirt and adjusted his black plate armor.

"How do you know she's bound for Skingrad?" asked one of the Imperial guards from behind them, his accent thick and sounded from High Rock, "She could be going anywhere, and this place is riddled with caves."

"I know, but we need not worry. Skingrad holds a very old Vampire with a lot of knowledge. Someone young like her could be out seeking a cure and he might have one. In any case, not just anyone get's to speak with Hassildor. She wont be a bother anymore."

"Brother…" Kevyn started, "If she was so young how is it that she knocked you on your ass so easily?"

"Fine! I'll go to Skingrad myself then if it please you. There's nothing we can do from here on out though, keep all the guards on their posts. My gut tells me our guy is still in the city. I'll set out in a few hours." Both the brothers and the guards retreated back into the city.

Meanwhile, hiding in the depths of the Rumare River, Kaiyen hid herself from the world above till her magic died and she couldn't see. However, the poison has already sunken in and taken it's toll on her energy, feeling extremely fatigued. The first step was that Porph-Hemo drains your fatigue rapidly and you become extremely tired, causing you to want to sleep so it can seep into you deeper, so by this point Kai was convinced she was now beyond help. Squirming out of the water, she took to the nearest shelter she could find; the old and rotting Fort Homestead. Unfortunately the fort was filled with Bandits, but nothing she couldn't handle. The fort was dark and full of crawl spaces and places to hide on top of, she decided she's spend the rest of her day toying with them.

* * *

**Benjen**

_Rewind; 2__nd__ of Heartfire, 3E 433. Western Rift, Skyrim._

Morning came with a lovely crash. A group of trolls decided to pick the day of their departure to wallop into their base camp. Four of them came bulldozing through the tree's, three white frost trolls and one brown cave troll. To make matters worse, their eyes had a glowing green tint to them which could only mean that a very skilled Bosmer, or maybe more than one, was behind the calamity. Bosmer's have the ability to communicate to creature's and use them as their ally for a short period of time. A highly skilled Wood Elf could influence a creature for quite some time, up to a couple of hours and a master could do more than one at a time.

"Captain!" Came a voice from outside his post, "Captain Bearclaw, come quick! Trolls, in the camp!" the man panted, "_Hurry!_"

With out a word ser Benjen 'Bearclaw' Strahtch leapt out of bed, threw on some greaves and a pair of boots, snagged a hold of his two Scimitar's and bolted out the leather doorway towards the sound of the ruckus. It appeared as though the trolls had a ring leader, one of the Frost trolls' was a great deal bigger than the rest, is forearms and shoulders were massive compared to his three followers, and his head had a good few inches on the others. _Wipe this one out an the others might flee._ He thought, charging.

Two hours later and three of the four trolls had been defeated, the other frost troll fled. Surprisingly, the biggest one had been the easiest. From this victory, though, several of his men had been wounded and two were dead and torn all over the camp in pieces. The wounded ones were taken over to the capital of the Rift, Riften; Leaving only ten soldiers plus Benjen and his little brother, Kevyn. Who was nowhere else to be found but his bunk.

"Get up!" Ben called down, kicking his brothers feet, "You idiot, I said wake _up!_"

With a snort and a shake of his head, Kevyn came to, his eyes still heavy with dreams, "What, is it time to go?" he asked, his voice husky and dry.

"No you dumbass, we just got attacked by trolls! Get up and help us clean! We leave soon."

"Holy shit-" he stretched his arms and yawned loudly, rolling out of bed. Benjen exited and cracked his neck, looking around to see what everyone was doing before retreating towards his own keep.

"Captain Ser!" Came a young, scrawny man from behind the pile of trolls to accompany him, "All the wounded have been transported and are being taken to the Temple of Mara for healing in Riften. A lot of them are badly wounded, Ser. I don't think any of them are coming back with us." Explained the out posts courier, "Ser, we can't go to Cyrodiil with just ten men, it's still a mountainous wasteland of snow before we even come close to the Pale Pass."

Ben stopped to look at his courier with a puzzled look that turned into a grin.

"Ser Bearclaw?" asked the courier, confused.

"How fast can you ride a horse, courier?" asked the knight.

"Uhm, been riding my whole life, Captain ser."

"Then I suggest you get your horse ready and make for Windhelm as fast as you can and get the Jarl to lend us some of his soldiers, I want at least ten more. Tell them to head directly for the Pass and not to stall. We'll set up camp at Blackreach and wait for a hawk. I'll be moving this camp the moment you leave, so make haste." Ben commanded, turning to his own hut he sighed, "I knew we should have brought that damn bird with us." He cursed. A moment later he turned back around and peered out the entrance of his hut and called out, "Bruze! Come here please." He returned back inside.

After a moment a huge, pale green Orismer appeared through the sun-dried leather door, "You called, Bearclaw?" he bellowed. Bruze gro-Dorag was Ser Benjen's right hand man. He was a massive Orc from the stronghold in eastern Eastmarch, Narsulbur. Three small spikes protruded out of his brow and up his forehead, and his jaw fangs were thick, but worn down. His hair was evenly shaved on both sides of his head and fashioned into a salting dreadlock Mohawk, fine laced with white strands; as was the stubble around his jaw he so lazily tended to. He was an old Orc, long since retired chief. But no matter how old he was, he was still the only one to be even with, and some times best Benjen in single combat. They had a long standing respect for one another and all three of his wives loved Benjen as if he were their own child (an Orismer's lifespan dwarfs humans by a few decades).

"Ready the groves and the men; we're heading out for the long run today. I've sent word to Windhelm for more able bodies, so I want everything we don't need burned, and make sure we get a good strong signal up there, go."

Bruze nodded and left to carry out the orders. The point of the signal was to send word to the Pale Pass to get the gate ready to be lifted so they could go through to Cyrodiil. Normally a voyage south would be made by boat, but word from Cyrodiil was that the Emperor Uriel Septom had been murdered, and word had been sent everywhere for assistance of the best warriors all around Tamriel. Cyrodiil needed them as soon as possible, and foot was the fastest journey weeks. Benjen Strahtch had been one of the ones hand picked by the Jarl of Windhelm, Madis Snowcloak, along with Bruze gro-Dorag and Torag Mavichi, the Dunmur Archmage. Madis was an old man who had raised Benjen and his brother in the art of war and Torag was Madis' court Mage; dubbed Archmage for several irrelevant reasons. Their families weren't exactly long term friends, but Madis took to Ben and then later Kevyn for no real reason. Ben suspects boredom, as there wasn't much to attend to in Eastmarch. It was nothing but a steaming volcanic hot-marsh and a few mountains here and there. Ben had spent a lot of time in the 'March, at the center of it where the ancient stone ruin of the Dragonstone, as he had come to call it.

Being a Breton, he was used to the heat and wasn't to into cold climates such as his home in Windhelm. He wasn't to fond of giants either, and Eastmarch was full of them back in his younger days before Kevyn was to young to understand where his brother was going. He'd spend hours fighting them. Teasing them and making them chase him down. He had only been caught once, but by this time he had been agile enough to escape. Eventually the giants got the hint and relocated, but thick as they were, they'd forget why they left and come back a few years later, only to be reminded why they left.

Benjen was big compared to his brother, and learned that two swords bite harder – and faster – than a sword and shield combined. "That's what sidestepping is for." He would always say. Ben was well toned and worked hard to get to where he is today. He had long black, uneven hair that stopped just above his shoulders that he always had pushed back like a spikey mane and grew a well trimmed beard down the sides of his face that cut off at the jawline. Fine hairs lined his chest, but his back had scald marks from the water of the 'March's hot spots from back in his giant hunting days. His nickname was the Bearclaw; dubbed from the famous cloak he made from the fur, claws and teeth of the black bears that terrorized the area. The cloak was originally supposed to just cover the scarring, but the name was catchy and stuck.

After his brother turned ten years old, Kevyn started following Ben everywhere he went, learning new things everyday. They have been inseparable ever since despite Ben having ten years on the boy. Kevyn had took it upon himself to become the best Archer he could, and he did. By five-and-ten, Kevyn could hit any target, regardless of its motions and size.

He was now eight-and-ten and suited a knight to Jarl Snowcloak alongside Ben. Due to being styled an archer though, Kevyn wasn't built like his brother instead was more agile and stealthy.

Kevyn, however, was cut from a different cloth compared to his brother. He was as prickly as a hedgehog and often blew up at the slightest offence. He always had his wavy black hair in his face and kept it trimmed to his jawline. The court Mage fears he will become detached and eventually either rebel, or leave Skyrim all together.

"Bearclaw, the groves are set, we'll be moving everything into them when you're ready to give the order." Bruze came in drenched in sweat and dirt from digging. "The men have already begun hauling their tents down and they're ready to go." He nodded his head once after speaking and left Ben to return to his things. He lifted his trophy namesake off a hook and readied his black stained orichalcum armor over his torso and arms, then fastened the bear cloak over it with the bear-head sigil pin of Windhelm. After packing food, letter material and a few extra weaponry to his pack horse, Ben began tearing at his tent, throwing everything into a pile on a large fur mat to be dragged off to the groves to be burnt. Bruze had sent someone to Riften to retrieve a few dogs; Nord mutts that were trained in the area and knew their way around. The dogs of the Rift were bred and trained to alarm and fight off wolves and other creatures that wouldn't be worth drawing swords, and were to bay sullenly when larger animals threated their 'pack'. They served as a good alarm system for the mountains of the southern Rift were often plagued with snow storms.

An hour passed and everything was now behind them as the troops made their way west towards the Pale Pass, which stood a good five to six hour trek if the pace was kept steady and no one fell to far behind. Ben wasn't to worried, his caravan was made up of now seven well-seasoned Nords, a Dunmur Archmage, an Orc Berserker and two Bretons warlords, one ranged and one dual-sworded. They were literally a walking wall, the extra men he had sent for was for two purposes; to get rid of the courier, and to ensure his wall wasn't going to collapse as Cyrodiil needed men and twelve able bodies wasn't enough to fight off an army of daedra should the dragon fires fall.

Three hours into the climb and they reached a problem; snow storm had built up and slammed into them hard and a matter of moments they were overwhelmed with snow. They had just come two hours short of the gate and already they had to hunker down and bury themselves under their armor and shields. The storm hardly survived thirty minutes though and they were well on their way once more. Unfortunately they had lost the dogs somewhere in the blizzard; either to the cold or they ran back home. "Some help they were." Criticized Bruze.

"No kidding. Let's keep moving, men." Ben responded.

Finally they made it to the Gate two hours later and almost on time. The gate was massive; It was a huge wall of copper and stone; it's unique design on the copper door, and the carvings on the bottom ledge made it obvious that the Dwemer had made this door. It was called Blackreach, named by the Nords after it's shear size and geological location (and that the real name of the gate was lost in history so the Nords named it after the Dwemer caverns hidden deep under Skyrim). Ben hadn't been much into the study of the Dwarves of the past or their technology. It gave him a headache apparently, so the name was just a name to him.

"Archmage!" Ben called out.

"Yes, Ser Bearclaw?" the old Dark Elf approached and bowed his head in pleasure of being addressed, "How may I be of service?"

"You know this place better than I, seek out the Gatekeeper and let him know we're here." He commanded, making notes of the other camps that were made around the courtyard of the gate. The courtyard was about the size of the gate and tenfold. A massive flat area blanketed with snow, the area making Ben feel like he was nothing but a tiny little ant. Adjacent from the door was a long stretch that ended with a huge cave in of the mountains, cutting off all access from there.

There were all sorts of warriors here; big and small. By the gate on the far right it appeared the Mages Collage had sent some of what it had to offer. Not to far from it was a band of Orismer, clad in their famous armor. Speckling in other random areas were large groups of mixed able bodies getting ready for what lays ahead. Torag had learned that some of the groups here had been posted for up to a few weeks, and that we were near the last to arrive. In total there was an estimate of three hundred soldiers expected to come out of Skyrim. Bruze tried to argue that three hundred wasn't merely enough bodies compared to what lay ahead, but Ben stepped in and reminded him that Skyrim wasn't the only province contacted. Torag estimates that High Rock and Hammerfell were most likely providing the biggest numbers, along with Morrowind, Summerset Isle, Black Marsh, Elsweyr and Valenwood. Cyrodiil was going to have at least tens of thousands of able-bodies from all over Tamriel. _Oblivion wont know what hit them!_

A day later the gates were opening, the massive copper gate was heal up by two chains dwarfing the men and expelled a heap of steam from the ground as it descended to oblivion below the ground, and the four-hundred-something soldiers that made up Skyrim's army had begun it's march on Cyrodiil. But when the gate was open it wasn't Cyrodiil they were staring at, instead they were facing a wall of black and red spiked stone teeth protruding out of the ground. A few Bosmer's sent hawks over the wall to get word to the council that the way was blocked.

At that moment Orismer and Breton exchanged a grin and a nod. Ben held out his hand in a fist towards his Orc companion, who then met it with his own fist.

"For Tamriel." They said simultaneously.

"Wait, you guys can't be serious!" Kevyn exclaimed, "The way is blocked and the mountains are sheer ice and high stone! How could you… possibly… Ben? Bruze…?" his voice dropped as he watched his brother and the Orc stare him down, "You were born here a man of Skyrim and Skyrim is a part of Cyrodiil. The land is in us as we are in it." Bruze started, "Breton or Bosmer, we have been given a noble cause, and if you wish you go home, then leave, kin-of-my-kin. But Ben and I are going to aid Cyrodiil if it kills us!"

Benjen simply nodded in agreement, "I will not stand by while our land needs help. I'd rather die trying then live sitting on my ass doing nothing." He finished, turning to leave. Torag followed in beside Ben, and soon the others from the group followed. Kevyn kicked an icy rock and followed in behind after a few moments, scowling.

* * *

**Kaiyen**

Morndas, 2nd of Frostfall, outside the Imperial City

Night was creeping up over Cyrodiil and Kaiyen had stumbled onto a Black Horse Courier newsletter stuffed in the desk of the Bandits leader.

**~MEHRUNES DAGON REJECTED~**

**~FEAR NO MORE, CYRODIILIANS~**

Brought to you by the Black Horse Courier

It has come to our attention that we, citizens of Cyrodiil, NO LONGER HAVE TO RUN IN FEAR AND HIDE! I would like to make a VERY special announcement; Oblivion will no longer trouble us! All thanks go to a very special Argonian, Khouvyn-Dohz! Aka, The Hero of Kvatch, Savior of Bruma, and the Champion of Cyrodiil! This one man delved into the blackness of Oblivion, single handedly fought back the Daedra and rose up our very own, first of his name, Martin Septim!

I regret to inform however, that this Martin Septim was the last remaining heir of the Septim family. This man broke the Amulet of Kings and took on the Avatar of Akatosh and sent Mehrunes Dagon crying back to his mommy! Some say he banished him, some believe the great evil monstrous beast to be dead! Who cares! Because my sources tell me that when The Amulet of Kings was destroyed, the connection between Oblivion and Tamriel was severed!

Though it grieves me to say we have no more Septim's in our land, I do have to say I am _LOVING_ the new décor of Akatosh in the Temple District! My sources say Martin's Avatar turned to stone JUST after he banished the evil Daedric Lord!

ALL HAIL THE CHAMPION OF CYRODIIL!

ALL HAIL MARTIN SEPTIM AND PRAISE AKATOSH!

~Keep your eye out for _more_ news letters in the future~

Kai crumbled up the paper and threw it down into a puddle below her. _If the connection had been severed, then how was Nocturnal going to help us of the thieves guild? How are we going to make our living if no one is to hide us in the shadows? No wonder I had such a hard time escaping the city._ She thought to herself, a lump of anger began forming in her stomach. She looked around at the pile of dead bandits she had done with earlier in the day and glared in envy. _Who do you worship? Is it Savengard you wanted, or somewhere in Oblivion that you were robbed of? Left to be nothing but wondering souls._ She shook her head in confusion and almost regret, as much as she liked the peace and quiet, she was going to miss watching people suffer at the hands of the daedra. She wondered if any of the creatures got left behind, maybe a baby Clannfear. She always did like the little dinosaurs. They were always so interesting to watch and fortunately was a creature she could control.

Snapping back into attention, she noticed that the Fort had darkened drastically in the past five minutes. Night time! _I wonder if you can still hear us, Nocturnal?_ She shook it off and made her way out cautiously, peering around and listening to the silence of the dusk. It did seem a little quieter with out the high pitched humming of the gates and distance crack of thunder. Sensing that the coast was clear, Kai made her way out steadily, tip toeing across the field to the woods ahead of her. Once she knew she wasn't being followed, she sheathed the bow she took off of one of the bandits and began jogging silently through the forest. She knew she had hours of moonlight and it was only a two and a half hour walk to Skingrad from the City, so she took this time to stock up. She stole up to an Inn where she knew she would be safe. The owner, Manheim Maulhand, was a close friend to her and had often got her out of tight messes. He was a tall fellow for a Breton and as pale as snow as he never left his place.

The Inn of Ill Omen was a small wooden Inn with only four rooms and a velvet sign with a Crow painted on it. By the time she made it to the Inn, it was already around 7:00, she had to move fast. Slipping inside the Inn, she arrowed straight for the counter to where Manheim was turned around, occupied with something irrelevant.

"Manheim…" she spoke in a low subtle voice, "It's Kaiyen. I need you to help me."

The Breton turned around and instantly surveyed the hall, "To what matters, my dear?" he spoke, bringing his eyes to hers their faces inches away from one another.

Se told him everything, and from the disappointed look he gave her she had just wasted an hour of her time. Turns out Manheim knew nothing of the area surrounding the Skingrad nor the Count. He had heard his name once, but couldn't even put his finger on it. "You know more 'bout that place than I do, love. I know there's bound t' be mines 'n caves in the area. And with this Vampire on the loose 'n the city I've had countless Legion Officers approach m' Inn. " She dropped a small stack of gold and thanked him for his silence. "Shadow hide you…"

She head out east, estimating the direction. Fortunately for her Skingrad was in a clearing that was quite high up; not an easy thing to miss.

_Two and a half hour walk, my ass!_ She cursed repeatedly. Four hours later she made it to an abandoned camp she had once raided. One of the occupants before had called it gro-Bak Camp. From the looks of things it was still abandoned; this was going to be her outpost from here on out. The tents were small, but she eventually took all of them together to form a larger, thicker tent to shade her from the sunlight. The camp was stationed just east of the citadel and down a large hill so she was by far out of sight.

By this time daylight was just a few hours off. The moons were far west and the sky had lost all of it's stars save for a few faded ones. She estimated it to be about three or four o'clock, and for her, the most dangerous of hours. It's when the hunger begins to really kick in, like being hungry for dinner after a long days work. Porphyric Hemophilia was still at its beginning stage but the disease was causing her to be out of breath and energy making it hard for her to get food or even concentrate.

Before the night was over Kai decided to take a walk up the hill and take in the view of what was to be her new home for a while. When she got to the top there was a tall tree with a large rock next to it, and if you stood on the rock you could see the top of a large stone wall and two tall towers peeping over the horizon of the hill. She smiled at the sight of it, her silver lining was just a mile ahead of her. She turned and headed back towards camp, wondering how Manheim was doing, how long it was going to be before she changed back, the idea of going on in life knowing you used to be a vampire; those sort of things. She returned to her tent and hid herself inside a bedroll, nuzzling the hard stitched in pillow. _Nope, no comfortable._ She tossed and turned for a while until she gave up. After about an hour of staring at the ceiling of the tent she finally drifted off into a heavy dreamless slumber.

The next night was painful; her skin felt like it was peeling right off her bones and her body ached horribly. She could barely breath and her eyes stung. Sunlight must have somehow found it's way through the tent. She didn't have the fangs yet, so she wasn't yet a vampire, but the sun had begun to sting and cause horrible blistering and rashes. She needed to find some way to make the tent thicker or find a new place. She recalled then a cave with a stone fence around it and a statue of a robbed man holding a sword. As she found her way to the cave there was a wooden sign half covered in moss laying at the foot of the statue and when she bent over to investigate it revealed the words 'Howling Cave'. A smirk and a snicker fell across her face at the thought of it, _What better place for a vampire than a creepy cave that screams leave me alone._ She ventured inside to find a long carved out hall that steeped into a large room, divided by several large wood-and-iron beams, "A mine?" she spoke softly, "doubtless abandoned." As she made her way in she came to another steeping hall that opened up to a smaller version of the main room. _Home._ The rest of the cave ended up being a labyrinth of dead ends, odd turn-arounds and cave in's, and nothing but rats and mud crabs lived here. Maybe it was a little to dead, but at least bandits haven't come around yet. She came across a dusty old candle and a rusted lantern with the chain still attached to it and along side it was a small leather back book. The pages inside it were empty but the book didn't seem to have any dust on it at all, it had just been placed here recently. This mine wasn't completely abandoned but she couldn't afford to sleep at the tent. It was to exposed to both sunlight and people. The cave was going to have to suffice.

After about an hour in the cave, dusk had past and it was now officially night. The moon was up, stars danced and for the first time Kaiyen felt a pull at her gut. It was a hard downward pull that twisted and churned, and for a moment she thought she was going to retch until it passed and dizziness overwhelmed her. She realized then she hadn't eaten a thing since the Imperial City, so she set out with haste.

She came to a hill that gave a scene so beautiful it sent shivers down her spine, only to be followed by frustration, then eventually sever annoyance. Before her was the bridge that appeared to lead to the Castle; it was lined with torches leading straight to the main gate and opposite to that everything disappeared behind a huge hill.

After hours of investigating, sneaking around and avoiding the sight of the city watch, entrance to the Castle was hopeless unless you knew how to fly or dig. No wonder the walls to Skingrad weren't so high, the citadel was on top of a massive hill that almost came to be vertical. Not even a sneak thief such as herself could even fathom gaining entrance into this fortress without consent of the city watch.

Back at the cave she opened up several mud crabs and ate what she could. It was coming the her final hours before her fangs would grow in and human blood would be the only thing she could consume. Other foods would only make her ill and already she was fatigued beyond natural recuperation. The mud crab meat tasted horrible to her and even such she was beginning to wonder if this was just a nasty horrible dream. Frustration welt up inside her, anger, rage, she bit her lip as it began to tremble. She wasn't one for taking lives without purpose. She wasn't a cold blooded killer, but she had caused harm in the past to a lot of people. But never once had she been caught like this, _like a rat in a trap. You're nothing but a worthless rat, Kai._ Her eyes began to fog as another dizzy spell hit her and it was then that she realized she had been robbed of her life. She could no longer go out into the light of day, even if night was her best friend. Sometimes feeling the warmth was nice. Made you forget the things that trouble you.

A rumble came then from behind her. Like rocks grinding against each other. _Cave in?_ She stole up the small slope to the large hall to investigate. The rumble came again followed by a loud thud. She pushed herself against the wall and looked around for any signs of breakage, but saw nothing but the candle flickering. Silence fell with relief but there was no telling what that was, until she heard the voices. Kaiyen dipped back into the shadows as two men in black hooded cloaks walked past her, "-kill the bastard… he was to much for me, there's no way I can summon something like that. Dead humans, yes, Atronach's, no."

"But you have to be able to know simple conjuration before you ca-"

The door slammed shut and the voices were cut off. She noted the particular skull design on the front of the robes and realized they were necromancers. _But where did they come from?_

Necromancers were powerful in their own way, because one moment your fighting them and the next a conjured bandit is putting his sword through your back. These ones sounded like they were rookies, but even the simplest Necromancer was still skilled with the way of magic. She had to deal with them, and besides, if she got them whilst they slept, she could drain them slowly, one by one.

She retreated to her little room and prepared herself. A ping of doubt shot through her spine and she decided to wait until she had proper armor to face them.

Turdas, 5th of Frostfall, West Weald. Kaiyen sighed heavily. There was no way she was going to make it into the city without being noticed at all and she was becoming desperate. Human food made her stomach hurt and gave her uncontrollable headaches, her body just outright rejected water every time she took a small sip, and she was becoming so very weak. Her fangs took shape over her day slumbering and when she woke to find them unwelcomed it sent her into a rage. Hungry, desperate, angry and above all scared she stormed out into the sunlight and stared at it. It was so bright to her eyes that she could only manage a quick glance. She could see nothing but light and everything around her was white, and then eventually turned into a pinkish hue as her eyes strained to adjust. After only seconds her skin began to sizzle and burn and she could hear her brain screaming in agony. Deciding this wasn't the best way to deal with her issue, she crawled back into her Howling Cave and collapsed at the doorway once she was out of sight of the sun. It was only moments before she heard a voice then a gasp and before she knew it she was being moved further into the cave eventually passing out all together.

His face was perfect. Round and chiseled and his hair was a beautiful wave of yellow locks, he was dangling over her, close to her face. He had green eyes and perfect lips and at that very moment she couldn't help but reach up and kiss the strange man before her. He kissed her back and before they could continue into something further, Kai opened her eyes to see someone else. He had auburn hair instead of the yellow locks, and dead eyes, filled with bloodshot veins and no pupil. His cheeks were rounded and when he grinned there were two thin fangs protruding out, "Hello, there, my love!" he chimed and in an instant she knew who was in front of her face. She tried to struggle away and made several attempts to push him away and hit him in the face but every time she moved, her hands would barely caress his skin. She felt paralyzed and confused and scared. She tried to look away, but there was nothing around her but a masquerade of a place she had never seen before. Dresses and tunics and colours she never thought existed. Everything made her head whirl and when she glanced back to Molic he had blood dripping from his eyes, nose, ears and mouth, and was laughing at her.

"Hey!" he called out, "What are you doing!? Hey!"

Suddenly everything was blurred and damp. Her face felt numb and she felt weak, unable to keep her head from swaying.

"Hey there, it's ok." Came the voice. Her eyes focused a little more and before her she saw a woman. Kaiyen judged her to be of Imperial blood based off the colour of her eyes and the shape of her small gaunt face. Then her stomach hurt. The down-pull she felt earlier had begun to make itself present once again, but this time it brought company, and before she could think or even so much as fathom what the current events were, her mouth had cupped it's self on the woman's neck and was filling with a warm, sweet liquid. Kai tensed at the feeling and dug for more. She wrapped her hand around the other side of the woman's neck and pressed hard on it, her other hand holding the woman's body to hers. Kai was weak a moment ago and then suddenly she felt like a bear mauling its prey as it helplessly squirmed beneath her. Suddenly there was nothing and the body fell cold and limp in her grasp. She released her grasp on the lady as blood and saliva dripped from her grinning mouth, the woman fell with a hard thump. She liked this feeling. A lot. The concept of the kill, the blood and how it warmed her and gave her the strength she needed, the fear and helpless struggling of her prey aroused her and Kai knew she was in love with something she never knew existed. _Where have you been all my life, death?_

* * *

**Benjen**

_10__th__ of Heartfire, Cloud Ruler Temple, Cyrodiil. _

"PRAISE CHAMPION MY WHITE ASS!" Ben screamed, tearing the paper into pieces, "This is horse shit! Why didn't anyone think of sending this to _SKYRIM_!? We wasted days, precious supplies, lost more men then I care to count, my little brother fell off a cliff and is lost out in the barren snow waste of your stupid Jerall Mountains, _AND FOR WHAT_!?" he slammed both fists down on the table in the armory.

"Calm down, Bearclaw, there's no sense in raising your voi-" Bruze started.

"_CALM DOWN!? _Kevyn is out there somewhere probably freezing his fucking ass off and you want me to calm _down_? Commander, I want all of your men out there searching for him. Now." He commanded.

"Excuse me, Sir… Bearclaw. But you have no authority telling me what to-" before the Commander of the Blades, Jauffre, could finish Benjen had his fist slammed into the older mans cheek, knocking him to the ground in a spinning mess of blood and metal.

"Excuse me Sir Batshit of the Butterknives, but if I remember correctly YOU were the one who failed to inform the Skyrim branch so _YOU_ are going to be the one to fix what you started and _help me FIND MY DAMN BROTHER_! He's still a fucking boy for Divines sake and probably badly injured!" he slammed his fist down on the table once more before whirling about and storming down the stairs to the exit of the great building, slamming the door shut behind him.

Bruze sat in silence and shock as his Captain exploded out the door, finally speaking after a short silence, "Did you at least send anything to Morrowind and such?"

"Yes, including Skyrim. When I didn't hear word back I figured either the courier got lost again or their Hawk was shot down or something trying to respond. We haven't heard word from Black Marsh either and I fear they wont be as subtle as our Captain here when they find out. Especially with Elsweyr right there."

"I apologize on his behalf. Bearclaw doesn't usually blow out like this, and he's usually quite peaceful, but his brother means the world to him. None of us doubt Kevyn's ability to survive, but these are different terrains and even the most seasoned archer is vulnerable." He explained, getting to his feet and throwing his bear cloak over his shoulders and starting after Ben.

He was found outside the base walls where the peer overlooked Cyrodiil. The Cloud Ruler Temple of the Blades was on one of the highest mountains in the province, and the one of the coldest. Ben had a crazed look on his face and his arms were crossed.

"Brother." The Orismer spoke up.

"He's out there. He's still alive I know it. I can feel it."

Kevyn had fallen down a very steep cliff just off the border of Cyrodiil. There was no way anyone could get down to where Kevyn fell with out falling themselves, and the lowest part of the cliff wasn't for another few miles. Eventually they had come to where he had fallen, but the archer was nowhere to be found, and there wasn't any sign the snow hadn't covered up. It had been snowing infinitely and vision was horribly limited. Bruze managed to convince Ben to continue on to the Temple and get help from them. Five of their men agreed to stay behind and continue searching for Kevyn while they headed back to get help. That was a day ago and their becoming short on time.

Bruze put a hand on Ben's shoulder, "A squad is assembling, they have dogs that know the area. We'll find him."

"A squad, Bruze? Just a squad? We have at least two thousand men here and no more Oblivion crisis bullshit, and I only get a _squad_? He fell off a cliff, Bruze! He's probably wondered far and doesn't know where he is! Or laying injured somewhere and needs attention quick or he'll die! Kevyn's probably thought we're abandoned him by now!"

"Please, if you wish to find him we need you to be clear headed, you're acting a lot like a woman. He is as much a' brother to me as you are, Ben, and I worry for his well being too."

Ben sighed and shook his head, his lips pursed together tightly and a slight snarl was upon his face, "We still need more men, Bruze." He growled.

A few moments later a man called out from behind them, "Captain Ser, we're ready to start out when ever you are. We've assembled nearly thee hundred of our available soldiers. Unfortunately it's all we have, the rest of the Blades Soldiers are scattered across the realm and will take to long to arrive."

Benjen sighed, "Very well, we're setting out right away. Bring a lot of torch's, I want four per person and as much rope as you can find. Weapons I don't care about, just make sure there's enough climbing gear. As for armor, I only want fifty armored men for protection, the rest I want you able to climb if needed. You all know this area better then I do, so we'll split up into three groups. Go get everyone ready and pick your three best men to come find me at once." He commanded.

"Uhh Ser?" he started, his attention focused behind the two larger men, "Is that…?" he pointed.

Ben and Bruze turned their attention quick behind them. Coming up the huge hill was a group of men, two of them clad in the Blades oriental armor and between them was a man, his arms were wrapped around the shoulders of the two Blades and his weight was being distributed between the two. Behind them was the five men he had left behind to help. It took a moment but eventually Ben came to the realization that it was Kevyn between the Blades and darted town towards them to help, "I got this, he's my brother." Ben claimed, "here." He lifted his brother over his shoulder and hoisted him up then set off for the Temple at a faster trot.

Bruze had already ran ahead and told the Commander about the news. He brought back orders that everyone who returned was to be assessed for injury. Ben brought Kevyn straight to the temple infirmary.

Commander Jauffre approached Ben as he was seated beside his brothers bedside, "Come, I need to speak with you in the Privy." He spoke. Ben got up to follow.

When they were alone it was him, Jauffre and Bruze seated around a large table meant for at least twenty people. The Commander seated himself at the high seat at the far end, Bruze was already seated next to it; Ben then claimed the seat across from his unblooded, "What's this all about?" he started, looking to Bruze.

Jauffre spoke, "I want to take this time to apologize and Bruze gro-Dorag here say's you'll hear me out. Does he speak truthfully?"

"Aye." Benjen said, narrowing his eyes to Bruze before bringing his attention back to the Commander.

"I understand you were misinformed in regards to the Oblivion crisis, and I speak on behalf of all Cyrodiil when I say that I truly am sorry. As you may have seen before, Blackreach was blocked and travel was postponed. We sent in a master acrobat to scale the rocky walls of Blackreach, and as obvious result, he did not make it. We've lost all of our Ravens during Oblivion and I fear they would have been useless as they do not know Skyrim. Word by foot was all we could do.

"On another note I would like you to meet someone." Jauffre motioned his gaze to the space behind Ben, who follow aft. Standing at the far end of the table was a huge black Argonian clad in black-on-blue armor of the Blades, his helmet tucked under his arm and his hand opposite sat nestled on the handle of his glass Greatsword. "Meet Khouvyn-Dohz, Chief here at the Temple and Champion of Cyrodiil."

Khouvyn-Dohz nodded once, "It is a pleasure." He spoke.

"Pleasures mine." Ben spoke, getting up from his seat, "I hear you're quite the warrior, I wouldn't mind sparing with you some time!" he smiled.

"Likewise. They call you Ser Bearclaw? Fancy name." he smiled, taking a seat three down from Bruze, "As for you, I believe we have not met either."

The Orc smiled with a nod, "I am Bruze gro-Dorag, retired Chief of Narsulbur and sworn to Benjen's service."

"Now," Jauffre started, "back on topic. Ser Benjen, we have a request of you. We wish for you to stay with us here in Cyrodiil for a while. We are with out an Emperor and as such crime has taken its toll. In addition to the crime past events have damaged our land and cleaning up is going to take a very long time. I will see to it that you are fitted with armor of your choice and you are most welcome to the amenities of this Temple to make up for the troubles we have caused you and your people. We understand if you refuse, as this is merely just a request."

Bruze had his eyes on Benjen then, looking for an answer. His face read that no matter his choice he was going to be there. Taking his attention over to Khouvyn and then back to Jauffre he signed and shook his head, "I'll have to take it up with Kevyn as well. If anything I'd like to make arrangements for him to be sent back to our Jarl in Windhelm. The choice rests on him."

"I can take him back." Khouvyn spoke up, "As long as he is conscious and can show me the way, I can see him home safely. But if I know anything about siblings, he's going to want to stay with you."

"The lizards right, Kevyn hasn't left your side before, what makes you think he's going to now?" Bruze pointed out.

"Let me speak with him first. Then we'll see. If he consents, then I will stay, if he wishes to leave then I will go back with him."

Jauffre dipped his head, "Regardless, I believe my Armorer would like to speak with you. Khouvyn?"

"I have made arrangements for you, Bruze and your brother. At your word I will have you three a suit of armor made out of the finest Ebony. It's the least the Blades can do. And if you wish to stay I have requests for you and your small grou-"

"Terribly sorry I'm so late!" Torag apologized, "Champion, I did not mean to cut off, please continue." He ushered as he sat himself down.

"Err… you are?" probed the lizard.

"Ser Benjen's Archmage and advisor, Torag Mavichi." The Dunmur bowed, "at your service, Ser Champion."

"Pleasure. Anyway, I would like to ask your assistance. My kind, the Argonian, are not big fans of the-boy-who-cried-wolf –in this case, Daedra. We have not heard word of both the couriers that we sent to the Marsh and we fear the worst. If they march into Leyawiin and see no Daedra they will suspect fowl play and become angered and begin pointing the finger to the Kahjiit.

"I have had a few people come up to me with suggestions that intervene, but I'm not from the Black Marsh, I was hatched here in Cyrodiil and grew up in the Imperial City. I'm no friend to them.

"But alas, Argonian's and Kahjiit have been playing cat and mouse for so long that the cat-people will look for any reason to stir up trouble with them what with Elsweyr being just across from the Black Marsh, and in return the Argonian folk will point right back at them. I fear war might break out, and with Leyawiin being right there in-between them. It will take more than just me to convince the Lords of Cat and Lizard."

"I see." Ben mused on the thought, "What can we do?"

"Help me band together a tourney and join me in tickling their better nature? Or perhaps you have a better plan?" Khouvyn turned to Torag, "You're the advisor, any ideas?"

Torag frowned, "I do know a lot of Kahjiit nature, the creatures have always fascinated me. Give me a fortnight and I might be able to come up with something."

Jauffre cut in, "I'm afraid we don't have a fortnight, Archmage. It's been one already and it doesn't take that long to get from Marsh's main citadel to Leyawiin. We might even be to late."

Benjen said, "Do you think there would be anyone who would know where these couriers might be? Who knows, maybe they made it to the city in the Marsh but were unable to return."

"I can send for someone to the Imperial City and see if anyone docked there and another to Bravil to ask if the scouts have anything. That will take a few days, but it should give Kevyn time to heal up. Speak with him when he is conscious and get me an answer the moment you can."

"Alright, I will. Torag, how is he holding up?" Ben inquired.

"He's sleeping. His tempature when we got him was way below normal, I used a heating spell, but it still doesn't look good. He has a really bad bang on his head and his hand it badly wounded. The healers here are doing everything they can." He reassured, "He should be fine soon."

Jauffre stood from his seat and bowed, "Thank you for your time, gentlemen. You are dismissed." He sat back down and lifted up a piece of paper that had been sitting in front of him, reading over what was written on it. Bruze was the first to speak then, "If you may excuse me, Captain, I would like to attend to some meditating on the rocks outside the Temple?" her asked.

"Very well, you have my leave." They departed.

13th of Heartfire, Cloud Ruler Temple. Three days later around noon and Kevyn was finally awake and stable. He had called in a healer to summon for Benjen, who was found outside back by the smithy. All morning Ben had been working with Khouvyn to design the armor gifts they were all receiving. Ben had settled with black stained plate armor with white lining and white designs along the chest and shoulders. Bruze settled with that he had – wolf and fox grieves and orichalcum plate boots and gantlets and his trusted black bear cloak he received from Ben. Khouvyn insisted he at least let him forge a weapon. He settled with a steel Greatsword and was planning on naming it.

"How are you feeling, brother?" Ben smiled at the sight of how well taken care of his kin had been, "You look fantastic!"

"I feel fantastic, but I'm pretty sure it's just the potions the healers have been giving me." Kevyn laughed.

Ben then began to explain what had taken place in the Privy and what was going to take place and to Ben's surprise, was looking good for Cyrodiil. He then began talking with him about that the benefits here and how everything was going to go down in regards to their stay, the armor they were getting and the hospitality. Overall it took about an hour before the healer decided it was time for Kevyn to eat and Ben left him to get his own bite.

The rest of the day seemed to drag on, and eventually Khouvyn had approached Ben for a little sparring. First it was hand to hand and Ben had laid the lizard on his ass three times to five. But when it came to weapons, Bens dual Scimitars against Khouvyn's other glass Longsword and shield, it was five to nothing for the Lizard.

"Shields are my bane! I hate them! I hate wielding them and I hate holding them! Ditch the shield and you're mince meat!" Benjen laughed. He removed his upper armor, choosing to continue topless.

"I have to admit, Breton, you're good. I never would have thought of putting another sword in the other hand. You're certainly a different kind of steel. I like that!" they continued to beat at one another for quite some time.

After the day had been done a message had arrived back, the one from the Imperial City. It bore news about the courier, good news. He had in fact departed on a merchants barge right on schedule, but unfortunately the merchants haven't even returned yet on their own boat, and they were running a fortnight late. He also claims that the Imperial City was on lockdown due to a large string for mysterious disappearances and an even larger number of murders. Word for some backup was requested at both the Imperial City. The boy said there are claims of a vampire loose and that we should watch our backs at night. Jauffre laughed at the news and told the boy not to listen to such nonsense; the Imperial City is home to some of Cyrodiil's best and bravest men on the guards watch. Nothing will be coming in or out of that city that had any intent to harm and that the problem will be bested soon.

After two days the said armor and weapons were done. Kevyn's was fashioned opposite to Ben's, thin steel-plate light metal over white leather and engraved with the same designs as Ben's, but black. Benjen had demanded the lizard let him pay up, as Ebony was one of the hardest, most expensive and extremely rare metals around, and straight up giving it away didn't make him feel right. Khouvyn said he'd beat on Ben with his shield if he kept asking, so the Breton let off, for now.

That very night a letter came in via Raven baring a request letter;

Dear Commander Jauffre and the Blades!

We bring some gruesome news! A large out break of murders and disappearances have rounded us down to man known as Molic Baridius. He is a very dangerous (and _very_ illusive) man we believe is still stationed inside our city. Sources believe so at least.

I regret the idea of pulling you into our business again, but we need to start really cracking down on this bastard, and if we pull to many guards away from their stations, the same thing will happen again that happened when Hieronymus Lex tried to pin point the Gray Fox.

You will be greatly rewarded for the capture of Baridius, dead or alive. Preferably dead.

Regards,

The Council & the Captains  
of the City Watch

They had been woken up and brought to the Privy and Jauffre had explained everything. He had hoped that Benjen and his group would assist him in this as he had higher hopes for them. Benjen and his crew had agreed on one condition; the two soldiers that found his brother were to fall into his command. Due to the Oath the Blades had to take to get their names, the two were unable to leave their home behind permanently, but at least he was happy to be able to work next to them for the short time.

The two, as Ben had learned, were brothers; identical twin Altmer skilled in the way of the battle mage. They bore the armor of the Blades but wielded no physical weapons as one was skilled with distruction and conjuration while the other with destruction and illusion. The one with the conjuration ability was named Alec, and the other was Aleks.

* * *

It's been so long since I've written anything that it took some serious inner convincing.  
But I mustered up the courage! Let me know what you think!  
Second Chapter will be posted only by request. It's basically done, I just don't know if anyone will like this. That's all.  
Have any questions, let me know :D

Peace!


End file.
